Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Jewell Announces Over $40 Million for State and Local land acquisition; reiterates call for full funding of LWCF

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today
announced that $40.03 million is being made available in allocations
from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and will be distributed
to all 50 States, the Territories, and the District of Columbia for
state-identified outdoor recreation projects. LWCF state grant funds are
awarded through Federal matching grants that leverage public and
private investment in America’s state and local public outdoor
recreation projects.

Secretary Jewell also underscored the
importance of President Obama’s proposal to require mandatory, full
funding of the program by 2015.

“For nearly half a century, the
Land and Water Conservation Fund has used funds derived from energy
development in federal waters to support conservation and recreation
projects that create jobs, support local economies, and increase outdoor
recreational opportunities in every county across the country,” said
Jewell. “This is why President Obama is asking Congress to fully
appropriate the money in this fund to be used for the purpose for which
it is being collected, so we can help create outstanding outdoor spaces
for all people from all backgrounds to enjoy sports and recreation close
to home.”

The LWCF was established by Congress in 1964 to
ensure access to outdoor recreation resources for present and future
generations, and to provide money to federal, state and local
governments to purchase land, water and wetlands for the benefit of all
Americans. The primary source of revenue for the Land and Water
Conservation Fund is from Federal oil and gas leases on the Outer
Continental Shelf. The funds enable State and local governments to
establish everything from baseball fields to community green spaces; to
provide public access to rivers, lakes and other water resources; and
to conserve natural landscapes for public outdoor recreation use and
enjoyment.

Only once in the past 49 years has Congress
appropriated LWCF funding at the full authorized level of $900 million.
President Obama’s 2014 budget request includes a legislative proposal to
establish dedicated mandatory funding for LWCF programs, with full
funding at $900 million beginning in 2015.